1. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Priorities for the Roma and the Vision of the Future Delegation of the Republic of Macedonia Prepared by Elvis Ali

2. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Roma in R. of Macedonia In general 66,6% Macedonians, 22,7% Albanians, 2.2% Roma. Unofficial data says 8%. 95.3% of the Roma live in the cities. Most dwell in large mahalas, in slums or unplanned settlements that lack asphalt roads and connections to water, electricity or sewage disposal.

3. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Roma in R. of Macedonia Un/employment Registered unemployment was 33.9% of the workforce, which means that only 13.7% of the total population in Macedonia is in employment. According to the state statistical office in 2002, 25% of the population live below the official poverty line. From the overall number of unemployed 3.7% are Romas (for the sake of comparison, the number of unemployed Vlahs is 0.3%, and they are much less in number in the overall population).

4. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Roma in R. of Macedonia Social Status and Health Lack of Identification documents, late payments of social support, time limits of benefits, family size, education requirement, lack of information, - barriers to access social protection and health insurance About 90% of the Roma that are recipients of social support are with not professional skills.

5. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Roma in R. of Macedonia Civil Society About 100 NGOs from which about 30% are humanitarian/charitable organisations. About 10-12 NGOs are institutionally developed, active, experienced in implementing developmental projects. 2 private local TV and 3 private local radio stations Political representation One Roma mayor Three Roma registered political parties One Roma member in the Parliament.

6. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Roma in R. of Macedonia Education In the school year 2001/02, from 7868 Roma enrolled in the elementary education only 6 % finished. In the school year 2001/02, from 569 Roma enrolled in the secondary education only 20.5 % finished.

7. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary R. of Macedonia Discrimination Human rights Education Employment Attention towards one minority

8. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Basics for policy recommendations Provide a right answer to the difficult and hard question of cause and effect of social exclusion. The programs that are being undertaken are ineffective for three reasons – Based on assumptions that actions should be taken related to generic groups of people, – Programmes tend to address the results of social exclusion rather than the causes, – Because governments are not willing to put up the money to tackle the deep seated problems.

9. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Basics for policy recommendations Solutions that works Acceptance of the need to address the problem; Identification of the precise cause of exclusion; Accurately targeted action; and Appropriate investment in remedial action.

10. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Related actionable policy recommendations 1. It is requested a Commission for Roma affairs (independent state body) to be created that will: A) Concentrate and provide policy development and deliver services. B) Will advise government on legislative and other political issues related to improvement of Roma conciliations in the country. C) Create the National Strategy on improvement of Roma situation. D) Will set priorities when Government discuses development and assistance programmes with different bilateral, international and other donors. G) Establish Consultation and Information sharing process between the line Ministries and Roma Civil Society sector The Government should create a new law in which the set up, creation, activities, operation, obligations and funding for this body will be defined.

11. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Related actionable policy recommendations An Agency for Roma Affairs will support the Commission as its constitutive part. The Agency will be an Policy Development Research department for the Commission. The Agency would undertake research and policy work and provide policy recommendations to the Commission on the situation of Roma in the country. An early task for the Agency would be to develop the first National Strategy on improvement of Roma situation, built on the basis of extensive collection and analysis of comparable socio-economic. The aim would be to ensure that the case for action was based on fact rather than rhetoric.

12. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Related actionable policy recommendations As a first task the Agency should conduct a needs analysis to establish in detail the nature and scale of the problems leading to exclusion. Review, conduct and disseminate detail analysis of all laws which has direct impact on the Roma community. Co-ordinates, co-operate and assist other line Ministries and possibly in future established Roma departments in different governmental structures.

13. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Related actionable policy recommendations The Government will finance, by setting an adequate budget, the administrative and operational costs of the Commission for Roma affairs. The Government also will also provide funding of most urgent priority actions outlined in the National Strategy. It is envisaged that the members of the Commission (strong, independent and known Roma leaders, Roma and non Roma academics and etc) will be elected on a wide national level. The nomination will done by the Roma Civil Society and Roma political parties. The employees in the Agency (staffed with only Roma) will be selected in an open announcement. It is requested that Technical Assistance would be engaged in the creation of the above-mentioned structure and to ensure input of expertise from other countries, experienced in this model.

14. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Related actionable policy recommendations 2. The National Strategy among others should have the following priorities: Education. Activities regarding education should be based on two pillars: integration vs. Segregation and participation (The delegation is against opening educational high school facilities in Roma settlements as this leads to segregation). Compulsory zero year in elementary education. Roma assistants etc. Employment. Funding for community based local employment initiatives should be available. Access to credits for supporting employment and entrepreneurial activities of Roma should be enabled. Organizing training programmes, both pre-service and in-service training, and creating conditions for supporting direct opening of new posts, through increasing the number of active employment programmes: counselling programmes for employment, training for development of small and medium-sized businesses;

15. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Related actionable policy recommendations Social welfare. Investment in the social sphere should be designed to promote inclusion and to avoid dependency. Review all social assistance legislation and eliminate provisions that have a disparate impact on certain groups. Crate specialized bodies for monitoring. Roma Women. Policy actions shall be directed to improvement of education, employment, health, political participation. Creation of desegregated data should be also a priority Health. Ensure equal access of Roma to health insurance. Ensure Roma access to information on preventive health measures. Ensure access to safe drinking water, improve vaccination rates. Improve the law on citizenship in order to easy the access to citizenship and other identification documents.

16. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Related actionable policy recommendations Housing. Review and amend housing legislation to eliminate all discriminatory provisions. Adopt measures for legalization of Roma settlements. Include Roma in the fair and equitable distribution of agricultural land. Appropriate trainings for lawyer, judges NGOs, and Roma leaders on housing rights and discrimination issues. Culture and Media. Cultural education, animation of the Roma community and institutionalisation of the Roma culture. Creation of conditions for institutional preservation and development of Roma language, history and culture. Qualitative and Quantitative growth of human and technical recourses in the Roma media. Access of Roma to Public Services. Adopt comprehensive antidiscrimination legislation according to the EU Race Directive. Establish judicial and administrative procedures to implement antidiscrimination legislation. Crate specialized bodies for monitoring. Implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement in light of integration of Roma in to the society.

17. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Related actionable policy recommendations 3. Together with the Government, Roma stakeholders (NGOs, political parties, media, youth and women organisations, intellectuals, municipality councils, mayors, parents, lawyers, students organisations, educationalists) and international donor community, define clear mechanisms of transparent monitoring, assessment, evaluation and reporting on effectiveness of the implemented strategies and programs.

18. Roma in an Expanding Europe, Challenges for the Future, June 30- July 1, 2003 Budapest, Hungary Let’s make Roma contributors to the national wealth rather then constant consumers the national wealth. Included people make an economic contribution and excluded people do not. Please do not let short-term investment stand in the way of long-term benefit.